It's all about the three T's (Taste, Texture, Temperature) : 1837 TWG Tea Salon and Boutique

Friends should always be there for the big moments. That is why for my first public appearance with the TEAM (and Marvin's big day out!) , we did it in a nice and posh tea place, the 1837 TWG Tea Salon and Boutique at Shangri-la Plaza.

 

The Sugar Canister and the Tea List

 This being a TeaM-up (TEAM Meet-up), we have participants from all over Asia via Google Hangout, demonstrating the power of technology and the glaring status of Internet speeds in the Philippines. Ate Mars was at Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Power Couple Ian and Gracie was at their new flat at Singapore, and our dear Chappy was down under in Australia. Representing the Philippines are Debbie, Loulou, Flippy, Jeb and Marvin.

With Debbie being the Tea person, she chose the teeming teapots that we have to drink. and it was the soothing flowery infusion of Sakura Sakura and the Strong imposing taste of the Jade of Africa. We are in unison in choosing Sakura Sakura over the Jade.

Jeb was sad that the Today's Special was not available so we ordered Chicken Ragout instead. It was bordering on dry. #SorryNotSorry

Chicken Ragout

Another Main course is the Pan-Seared Salmon. It was spot-on. The infusion of Tea was obvious.

Pan-Seared Salmon

For desserts, we had this Earl Grey infused Ice Cream and Mango topped custard. Not that earthshaking but definitely delicious. The Creme Brulee was OK.

Ice Cream

Creme Brulee!

 Overall, it was the catching up that mattered. But speaking of the three T's, we ventured into a gastronomic journey of complementary tastes, textures, and temperatures, hehe.

Looking forward to more TeaM-ups. Yey! Cest La Vie! :)

Marvin, Jeb, Flippy, Debbie, LouLou

Sapatos At Kape

Sapatos. Ano pumapasok sa isip mo pag naririnig mo ang "sapatos"? Imelda? Otto? Rusty Lopez? Sa akin Marikina.

Wala lang. natripan ko lang. lumibot ako sa may palengke, sa sentro ng Marikina. Yung malapit sa Sports Center. Oo. Yung sports complex na may fountain sa unahan. Marami palang tagong lugar doon.

Pumunta ko sa may simbahan. Buti nalang madaling magpark doon. Sabado kasi. Pag linggo siguro marami ring tao. Pumasok ako sa may gate ng simbahan. hehe.. naghahanap ako ng comfort room. Akalain mong may bayad pala! Pero wala naman akong magagawa diba? Keysa naman sa puno ako. Marami kayang tao nun. Baka huliin pa ko ng pulis. Hehe.. Ang linis ng CR nila. Mas malinis pa ata sa kwarto ko.

"Bayan" ang tawag nila sa lugar na yun. Yun ang sentro ng marikina. Naalala ko nung may nagkwento sakin. Si Luther ata yun. "Aleng may hawak na bayong! Huhuliin ka dyan!" May ale kasing tumatawid sa pedestrian. Eh nakailaw ung pulang signal na bawal tumawid. Hindi narinig ng ale. Malapit na siya sa gitna ng kalsada. "Aleng may hawak na bayong! huhuliin ka sabi dyan!" Tuloy parin yung ale. "Ale! Huhuliin kita!" Nang marining ng ale, dali-dali syang bumalik. Haha.. Strikto kasi sa marikina, lalu na sa bayan.



Syempre naghanap din ako ng mga restaurant sa paligid. Gumagawa kaya kami ng magandang blog! ung "thetastebytes.blogspot.com"!! Haha.. Merong resto dun sa malapit sa simbahan. Cafe Kapitan ung tawag. Nasa loob siya ng parang isang lumang bahay. Antigo yung mga dingding tapos kapis ung bintana. Syempre hanggang sa labas lang ako. May dress code kasi. Eh naka-paa lang ako nun! hehe.. biro lang. naka-tsinelas naman. Sa labas may open space na may ilang mga benches. Masarap magkape dito at magbasa ng dyaryo habang unti-unting sumisikat ang araw.

Spanish cuisines ang specialty ng Cafe Kapitan. Bawal ang naka shorts at duster. Bawal din nakatsinelas. Bawal nakasando. At oo, bawal ka dun! Hehe.. biro lang, toh naman. :p Eh kung havaianas kaya ang tsinelas mo? papasukin ka kaya?

May eskenita sa likod lang ng Cafe Kapitan. Hindi ko alam kung anong meron dun. Basta pinasok ko yung eskenita. Eh bakit ba? Lakas trip eh. :p Di ko alam san yun papunta. Basta naglakad lang ako. Akalain mong nakarating ako sa ilog! haha.. Hindi na malinis yung ilog ngaun. Hindi naman siya ganun kadumi. Pero hindi rin siya ganun kalinis.

Mainit nun. Bumalik na ko sa may simbahan para sumilong sa puno. Nang makabalik ako, Napansin ko yung isang building dun na parang wala lang. Pero may nakabantay na gwardya. Pinuntahan ko. Museum pala yun ng mga sapatos! Doon nakatago yung ibang sapatos ni Imelda. Oo. Si Imelda Marcos na asawa ni Ferdinand Marcos. May entrance fee. 50.

Wala kang makikita sa loob kundi sapatos, sapatos, sapatos! Mga sapatos ni Imelda, ng mga dating senador, dating presidente, pati yata yung sapatos ni BF nung isang araw nandoon eh. Meron din palang mga Mannequin doon sa may taas. Pinapakita nila kung pano gumawa ng sapatos.

Kung mapadpad ka sa Marikina, pumunta ka sa bayan. Magswiming ka sa sports center, magfoodtrip, at bisitahin mo yung shoe museum. Tara, punta tayo minsan. :D

The Hidden Garden

Within a busy campus, there resides a serene garden hidden in the heart of UP Diliman. Filled with green plants and blossoming flowers, this humble abode is the perfect place for a peaceful meal.

Day after valentines, Gracie and I decided to have dinner in UP. The place is situated within a residential area and it is very easy to miss for it is literally covered in trees and green plants. Lucky for us, it was night time when we got there and their signboard was lit.

There is ample space outside for parking. Though darkness engulfs the surroundings, there is the friendly kuya guard to which you could entrust your vehicle. And I did. Iniwan ko muna si beck (kotse ko) dun.


AMBIANCE

Seemingly a portal to another world, the passageway to the Verde is decorated with greens. This short pass leads to the dining area. Simple but well decorated, this area is open to the cool breeze of the open air. There is a mini-waterfall on the side and a series of paintings on the other. Everywhere you look, your eyes will be filled with blossoming life.

The place is lively and yet relaxing. Every table is a candle light set-up with a freshly cut flower as the centerpiece. Sayang lang hindi kita ung buwan. The place is housed in a hut-like structure with wooden posts. Above, you will see decorations: dangling heart shapes and wind chimes.


FOOD and SERVICE

Gutom na kami. hehe.. We ordered Paella. It is stuffed with shrimp, crab meat, shells and other spices. We planned to order a second dish but didn't. Pang dalawa na daw yung serving ng Paella. Baka di namin maubos.



It took about 15 to 20 minutes to cook our order. We waited a bit and talked about the place. Ang kulang nalang sa kanya ay slow background music and a small dance floor. hehe..

Our dish was served hot. We ate. it was my first time to eat paella and it was great. Sabi din ni Gracie masarap ung paella. hehe.. naubos namin.



Dessert na! Since we still have a little room to spare in our digestive track, we ordered dessert. It was called mango something.. I forgot. It's made of mango and strawberry bits rolled in lumpia-like wrappers, dressed with sweet caramel syrup, topped with ice cream and cotton candy. It was a valentines special dessert. Who would have thought manggo and strawberry bits in lumpia wrappers could taste so delicious?!


THE VERDE

The place is called Chateau Verde. It is one of the fine dine restaurants inside the UP Diliman campus.